The City-State of Alphas is historically a seat of intellectual and cultural development and counter-development. It has been regarded as something of a nuisance by many of the other members of the East Rim Consortium, as it has a long history and culture of anti-establishmental and nihilistic philosophy. It was here that the first members of the Dysgnostics penned and published their first manuscript, the Chao Manifesto; and, later, where the followers of Averianism first began operating, suggesting that both movements have their roots in the city.

Although economically weak and militarily insignificant, Alphas still enjoyed a significant degree of influence in Consortium politics, up until the beginning of the Orbital Wars. Despite its inherently revolutionary ideological stance, it has always enjoyed (and continues to enjoy) the highest standard of education available, and many of the political and financial leaders of the East Rim Consortium enjoyed Alphas tutelage in their youth. The Alphas City Library was considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, collection of philosophical works in existence, until is was largely destroyed in the bombing that took place in the aftermath of the [Qirel Encounter]?. Today Alphas is a greatly reduced power; the East Rim Consortium's benevolence towards its attitude of militant intellectualism evaporated during the course and aftermath of the conflict.